Help: West Virginia
West Virginia State Parks and Forests Geocaching Policy
The West Virginia State Parks website has information on their official policy regarding permits for geocaching. Letterboxing is not mentioned explicitly in this policy.
Placement of Caches
Persons placing a cache must have a permit issued by WV State Parks, Programming Office prior to placing the cache.
Download and print the application here Adobe Acrobat Reader required.
Permit is good for one year from the date issued.
When the permit year expires, the cache should be moved or removed and the new location re-permitted. This ensures that a particularly popular cache does not create an negative environmental impact on an area.
Monitor your permitted caches on a quarterly basis. This ensures that the cache is family-friendly. The cache should contain no food, alcohol, firearms, drugs, dangerous items or adult items.
Please use established trails for your cache. Off-trail hiking is discouraged as it negatively impacts the environment. Digging holes or disturbing the existing environment is not permitted. There is to be no earth disturbance or vegetative impact.
As a cache seeker or owner, observation of park hours, rules and regulations is applicable.
All approved caches should have an "Official Geocache" sticker with the cache. This sticker is received when the placement permit is approved.
Unauthorized geocaches on WV State Park or Forest lands will be removed and treated as abandoned property.
Source: WV State Parks and Forests Website
(Something we letterboxers have noticed is that while permits are only good for one year and the policy requires caches to be moved after the permit expires, permitted caches listed on the site (as well as a permitted letterbox) have stayed in place for several years. Whether this is through a renewal of the permit or the parks allowing the permit to expire without removing the cache is unknown.)
Placement of Caches
Persons placing a cache must have a permit issued by WV State Parks, Programming Office prior to placing the cache.
Download and print the application here Adobe Acrobat Reader required.
Permit is good for one year from the date issued.
When the permit year expires, the cache should be moved or removed and the new location re-permitted. This ensures that a particularly popular cache does not create an negative environmental impact on an area.
Monitor your permitted caches on a quarterly basis. This ensures that the cache is family-friendly. The cache should contain no food, alcohol, firearms, drugs, dangerous items or adult items.
Please use established trails for your cache. Off-trail hiking is discouraged as it negatively impacts the environment. Digging holes or disturbing the existing environment is not permitted. There is to be no earth disturbance or vegetative impact.
As a cache seeker or owner, observation of park hours, rules and regulations is applicable.
All approved caches should have an "Official Geocache" sticker with the cache. This sticker is received when the placement permit is approved.
Unauthorized geocaches on WV State Park or Forest lands will be removed and treated as abandoned property.
Source: WV State Parks and Forests Website
(Something we letterboxers have noticed is that while permits are only good for one year and the policy requires caches to be moved after the permit expires, permitted caches listed on the site (as well as a permitted letterbox) have stayed in place for several years. Whether this is through a renewal of the permit or the parks allowing the permit to expire without removing the cache is unknown.)